Thanks largely to the persuasive powers of our team captain, Chris I have agreed to swim across the English Channel to France in a relay team of six swimmers.

The Swim: the English Channel is 21 miles wide at its narrowest point, but we will be battling the tides, current and shipping lanes, so will be swimming much, much further than that (potentially up to 30 miles). The rules of channel swimming are strict, we must have one swimmer in the water at all times, with no assistance available other than the pilot boat, and we will be swimming day and night. No wetsuits are allowed, which means we will be swimming in cold water around 15C (59F) in just our swimmers and making friends with the jellyfish! We’re aiming to complete the crossing in around 18+ hours, which will mean multiple swim legs per person until we reach France.

The Team: my fellow team mates are all parents from my children's school in Kent.

Why: we are planning to raise over £12k as a team for Aspire. Every four hours someone is paralysed by Spinal Cord Injury and Aspire provides the essential equipment, advice and housing, plus assistive technologies to allow people with spinal cord injuries to live their lives independently. This is a big challenge, but the more we can raise, the more of a difference it will make. Please be as generous as you can with your sponsorship no matter how big or small.

Progress: please see the various updates and photos on my training below. and follow the team on the team page. 

Donating: Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.